Christmas bargain holding thread - we're over here, Reastie

[FireflyGirl]

Whoops - we seem to have filled the first thread!

Let's carry on here until we can sort a proper one.

I'm struggling for husband and MIL (who is lovely btw).
Did the GH magazine subscription and Lakeland gift vouchers last year for her, struggling now.
Husband loves rugby but hated novelty related items.....

Isn't AliExpress a Chinese site that sells goods cheaply because they don't have to comply with EU safety regulations or am I thinking of another?

My dd loves her pokemon hat - I got it coming from China on ebay for about £2.50. Make sure u get the right one ash wears a different hat in each series, dd has 2 different ones! She has the pokemon deluxe handbook which is £5 on amazon at the moment which is pretty good. It has all the pokemon and their stats. There's also the encyclopedia for the same price but we don't have that so can't comment! The pocket comics are good too they are 6.99 each on amazon but plenty of used ones. I would be wary of cheap import figures - the colours are usually off and are tiny. I bought official ones from a car boot and put in a nice box. Expensive gift but build a bear have eevee, pikachu, squirtle and charmander - dd loves hers they are lovely quality.

space toys imaginext used to do a great range we have a purple alien that makes loads of noises including farting and meowing - was pretty cheap aswell. Happyland do a rocket which is still loved here by 8 and 5 year old dds. Asda have a space cat bedding set which is awesome I wanted it but dp said no

The first toys dds really enjoyed were hand puppets - the puppet company are beautiful but not cheap! That's not my books, galt wooden pop up toy, a spinner toy, vtech phone, a plastic photo album which had a teether bit on the top, plastic teething keys, Lamaze clip on toy for the buggy.

@lionsleepstonight my husband is the same as you. Do you know what rugby team he supports?

I know my husband supports Wigan, and Warrington are their rivals. Thinking of buying him tickets to a match xx

DisneyStore have got 3 for 2 on selected items, only until 8am tomorrow. There's all sorts included, from play sets to pyjamas to party stuff.

Melina - It's Chinese eBay and has less strict standards like you said.

Here is the link to the train table at studio again

Hope Reastie is okay.

I have generally been pleased with Ali Express things, but the clothes come up tiny for kids. Some things are bargainous. Currently browsing their Nerf items.

Thanks for the Disney info is this bow and arrow okay for a boy or will they think it's a girl present?

Thanks for the Pokemon suggestions. I think we've already cleared out Primark of every Pokemon shirt they have. I'll check out Aliexpress and he'd probably love an 'Ash hat'

Campus gifts have 20% off everything at the moment!

I know IWOOT isn't recommend on here - I've used them without issue - but I've seen this deal for a Lego brickhead (whatever that is)

www.quidco.com/iwoot-lego-brickheadz

Hi all, back again. I keep dropping off threads

So was in my Sainsbury's earlier. They have some really good bargains on toys.

Little live pets, hamsters in wheels, hedgehog, hamster on his own and the turtles all half price. (I paid £6.50 for the hamster in wheel)
Barbie colour doll, brush her hair and it changes colour was £21 now £10.50
Disney princess smashems half price at £1.75, ideal for stockings
Disney dolls with the little insert pieces, all half price.
Disney belle, big dress, barbie style, sings, down from £30 to £15
All the Disney toddler dolls were half price and so was rapunzel with the water change skirt.
Massive bargains to put away.

Having seen a couple of posts looking for sporting related gifts. I would recommend www.savile-rogue.com/ which sells cashmere scarves and hats in the team colours of a variety of football and rugby (both league and union) teams.

Whilst not particularly bargainous they do make a nice gift and I am pretty sure they had offers on in the lead up to last Christmas so it might be worth hanging on to see if they do this time.

Aliexpress is indeed essentially Chinese eBay. Personally I avoid toys on there, but it is great for little craft things, labels, buttons, ribbons etc. Loads of the stuff you will see on eBay here (so don't just assume eBay is safer).

You just need to decide what you are happy with.

There are some good reductions in The Contemporary Home sale. Postage is £3 or free if you spend over £30. I spotted lots of Gisela Graham things (e.g. flour shaker £2, Christmas signs £1), an envelope advent calendar kit (£2.50), cardboard dinosaur kit (£1), etc.

I have used Aliexpress quite a bit over the last few years. My tips/observations are:

1. Check reviews
2. Be wary of plastic toys. There have been concerns about toxic plastics from China, and I have binned plastic figures for having very unpleasant smells. I no longer buy any 'low-end' plastic items and only ever from sellers with lots of positive reviews
3. Aliexpress refund/complaints procedure is actually way more straightforward than eBay, and stacked in the buyer's favour
4. Beware of mains operated electricals, many of which are supplied without fused plugs. Always message the seller first if in doubt, don't rely on the photos
5. I don't trust dress up clothes to be flame retardant, although I don't believe this is UK law anyway?
6. Clothes can come up very small. Quality can be variable (excellent to awful). Photos are often of similar items, so take them with a pinch of salt and check the reviews.
7. Actually, all photos on Aliexpress should be taken with a pinch of salt. Again, check reviews (where buyers often post photos of the actual item received)
8. I wouldn't trust toys to meet UK safety standards and wouldn't buy anything that could pose a risk (e.g. Paint might not be safe for children to gum, there could be sharp edges/choking hazards, etc)
9. Lego alternatives don't tend to stick together as well as genuine Lego. Minifigures are still excellent value, but the odd one might benefit from a few drops of superglue.

10. Barbie and other doll clothes can be excellent value, but check reviews for fabric quality and finish 11. Stationery is generally excellent value, although paper quality can be lower than expected. Type 'kawaii' into stationery and be prepared to spend a fortune!

The Sainsbury's TU 25% off has been confirmed as starting tomorrow, by the way, if anyone was wondering.

I have already earmarked a dinosaur cardigan for my nephew from Sainsburys!

Further to sock's post:

There is a lot of fake stuff on there when it comes to brands. Plastic Minecraft toys for instance are definitely not officially licensed ones. The paint job may be shoddy or the toys not move "right"

I wouldn't buy toys for children who put stuff in their mouths. There aren't requirements for plastics/paints there. The soft toy selection of famous brands like Pokemon are excellent but the filling isn't subject to EU standards and you definitely need to air before wrapping at least. Some soft toys come with official looking shop labels like Disney Store but you can't use that to assume that they are genuine. Copyright laws are lax there so the real companies can't sue.

Any wise words on buying Lego Boost? I think it will probably be pretty big this Christmas. Wondering whether to try and get it in the smyths 20% off sale next month or to hang on and see if there are any good deals in November. I've been lucky most years that the kids haven't wanted any of the really popular things just bizarre, improbable and physically impossible things and I don't know if my nerve will hold

Hope Reastie is ok

Ted Baker sale on at the moment and EXTRA10 gets you an extra 10% off

Hi everyone, can anybody remember the bacon subscription from last year?
I am going to do hampers for the adult family members so I am looking out for the Thorntons bags of bags too.
My children are 10 and 6. The 6 year old wants unicorns (we already have a herd) and I'm a bit stuck with ideas for my little boy!

Hope Reastie is ok!

Bacon subscription is www.cureandsimple.com

We still get bacon from there; it's bloody lovely! If you want a referral code for a discount (I then get money off my next pack also) let me know.

I'm here, I'm here! I wondered why no one had posted on the thread for a couple of days on my 'I'm on' page and hadn't realised it was because it had got full up. I assume we're all happy here?

Thank you firefly girl.